Dorin Mircea Popovici

Using mixed VR/AR technologies in education

In this paper, we describe an ongoing project dedicated to kindergarten children. By invoking a narrative context, we propose to children an AR-based virtual environment within which they are expecting to learn by playing each other, as they are doing in a real context. The proposed subjects for the educational contexts are selected by the teacher, and the children are let to improvise in order to attend the conclusion. The implementation of the system is based on AReVi API for visual rendering, ARToolki t for interaction support, and classical client-server architecture for the environment distribution between several classrooms

Comparative Study of APIs and Frameworks for Haptic Application Development

The simulation of tactile sensation using haptic devices is increasingly investigated in conjunction with simulation and training. This work explores the most popular haptic frameworks and APIs. We provide a comprehensive review and comparison of their features and capabilities, from the perspective of a software developer. In order to compare the studied frameworks and APIs, we identified and applied a set of eleven criteria and we obtained a classification of platforms, from the perspective of these criteria. According to this classification, we decide on the best platform to develop a visuo-haptic prototype for liver diagnostics.

Motivate Them to Communicate

In the following, by considering the communication and the interaction within collaborative multi-cultural virtual environments as the most important motivational dimensions of user (children in particular) experience, we discuss the use of two metaphors, the virtual theater and the virtual classroom, in order to support collaborative learning. The educational virtual environment is presented as a shared informational agent-based space from both modeling (structure and evolution point of views) and technical (implementation) perspectives. The cooperation within the environment is preserved by interfering with virtual actors. Current implementations are based on a client-server architecture. VEHA API is used for environment description, VRML, C++, and Java are used as modeling and programming languages, and AReVi as graphical rendering and interaction API. Supplementary ARToolkit is used for hand-made marker-based interaction

An interactive agent-based learning environment for children

This paper presents an educational distributed virtual reality-based environment for children called EVE-Environnement Virtuel pour Enfants. EVE is used in elementary schools from different countries as a supplementary tool in teaching children to read. This virtual environment supports cooperation among members of a dispersed team engaged in a shared context. By the mean of their avatars, which are special cases of agents, children are allowed to interact and to give decisions using cooperative mechanisms. The virtual environment architecture is reactive agent-based. The FCM-like dynamic action planning mechanism assures the agents adaptability to its environmental changes. It also allows the pedagogical agent to adapt its behaviour to the childs actions. The implementation is based on a client-server architecture, VRML and C++ as languages and AReVi as graphical rendering API.